From the 1940s through the early 1970s, O'Hara brought spirited style to numerous films, particularly those directed by John Ford. In her teens she had acted with Dublin's Abbey Players. Her performance in How Green Was My Valley (1941) brought her stardom. She was especially well matched opposite John Wayne, with whom she starred in hits such as The Quiet Man (1952), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (1972). O'Hara also played in Disney's The Parent Trap (1961). After an 18 year hiatus, she returned to the big screen in the John Candy romantic comedy, Only the Lonely (1991). She then turned to television for performances in The Christmas Box (1995), Cab to Canada (1998) and The Last Dance (2000)